1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to locking mechanisms for cords, and more specifically to a releasable cord lock device which cannot be pulled too far in the locking direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cords of various diameters are used to hold shut many different types of articles. Examples are laundry and garment bags.
To avoid having to tie and untie cords used for these purposes, various types of inexpensive locking devices have been designed. An example of one such device, which is typical within the industry, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,574, issued to 0. W. Boden. This patent describes in detail the mechanical structure of a particular cord lock design.
A cord lock of the type shown in the Boden patent is shown in FIG. 1. The cord lock 10 includes a hollow body 12 and a moveable slide 14. Two cord sections 16, 18 pass through the body 12, and are held in place by the slide 14. When the slide is moved to the left as shown in FIG. 1, the cords are locked into position. When the slide is moved to the right as shown in FIG. 1, the cords are released.
FIG. 2 illustrates a slide such as used in FIG. 1. The slide 14 has a finger loop 20 connected to a main portion 22 by neck 24. Gripping portions 26 are disposed on either side of the body 22 to hold the cords 16, 18 in position against the inside of the lock body 12. To further improve the gripping capacity of the device, feeler arms 28 are also provided to press the cords 16, 18 against the inside of the lock body 12. Operation of this device is described in further detail in the above described patent issued to Boden.
One problem with cord locks of this type is that very large pressures on the cord, to the left as shown in FIG. 1, can cause the slide 14 to be drawn into the lock body 12. If the slide is drawn too far into the lock body, it can become very difficult to disengage. Further, if this should happen while a user's finger is within the finger loop 20, injury can result.
It would be desirable to provide a cord lock which solves the problem of the slide being drawn too far into the lock body.